Cruise passengers should be able to sleep in the cabin they paid for. One experienced cruiser says that became impossible aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas when construction continued beside and below the cabin throughout the night.
The noise did not stop at bedtime
The passenger, who reportedly had taken approximately 20 cruises, was staying on Deck 3. The cabin was noisy on embarkation day, but that initially seemed understandable: passengers were arriving, luggage was being delivered, and the ship was busy.
Later that evening, the passenger says the noise continued as knocking and hammering. After waiting to see whether it would stop, they contacted Guest Services around midnight. According to the account, a representative confirmed that construction was taking place beside and below the cabin—and that it was expected to continue for the entire cruise.
The first response was reportedly a pair of earplugs
The passenger asked to move, but was initially told no other cabins were available. The reported offer was a pair of earplugs. After Guest Services contacted the construction supervisor, the passenger says they were told the work could not stop.
If Royal Caribbean knew cabins would be exposed to overnight construction, those cabins should not have been sold without a clear warning. Hotels routinely disclose significant renovation work and try to keep guests away from the affected area. A cruise line should meet at least that standard.
A replacement cabin was found—but it allegedly smelled like sewage
After a poor night’s sleep, the passenger returned to Guest Services and again requested another room. This time, a cabin reportedly became available. Unfortunately, the passenger says the replacement smelled like sewage.
The carpet was cleaned and left damp with an air blower running, but the passenger says the odor remained and a deodorizing product irritated their eyes. Even the cabin attendant allegedly acknowledged the smell.
According to the account, the final choice was essentially between the noisy cabin and the bad-smelling replacement. Neither is an acceptable place to sleep on a vacation.
What I would do in this situation
Document the disruption
Record several short, time-stamped clips from inside the cabin, including the late-night noise and any visible work area. Document odors and physical conditions in writing because a smell cannot be captured on video.
Request a supervisor
Ask for the hotel director or Guest Services supervisor and request that the complaint, times, and promised response be entered into the onboard record.
Inspect any replacement first
Before packing and moving, walk through the new cabin. Check its location, odor, cleanliness, air conditioning, noise, and whether it is a connecting room.
Do not accept earplugs as the solution
Earplugs may help temporarily, but they do not turn around-the-clock construction into an acceptable cabin experience.
Should cruise ships hold cabins in reserve?
I have long believed cruise lines should hold back a small number of cabins for emergencies. They could be inside cabins, with compensation handled separately when a passenger is moved from a balcony or suite. Plumbing failures, major odors, maintenance problems, and situations like this can make a cabin unusable.
Ships often sail full, so this is operationally difficult—but “the ship is full” does not make an uninhabitable or sleep-disrupting cabin acceptable. If no reasonable room exists and the problem cannot be stopped, I would seriously consider leaving the ship at the next safe opportunity and pursuing the matter in writing.
The most troubling part
The construction itself may have been necessary. The larger issue is the allegation that Royal Caribbean knew the work would continue, sold the surrounding cabins anyway, and did not provide a workable solution when a passenger could not sleep.
A cruise line cannot promise a vacation and then tell a passenger to choose between hammering through the night and a cabin that smells like sewage.
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